What does generationally mean?
“Generationally” is an adverb meaning in a manner that involves successive generations rather than a single one. Its clearest use is with things passed down over time: traditions, knowledge, resources, debts, or traits may be described as moving “generationally,” meaning from parents to children and onward through a family or community. The word can also suggest gradual change across generations, as when costs or attitudes become “generationally” different. Although it may sound dense or technical, it is useful when the time scale matters. “Intergenerationally” and the familiar phrase “from generation to generation” are often clearer alternatives, especially in general prose, while “generationally” can be more compact when it modifies a verb such as “passed,” “transmitted,” or “inherited.” The word is based on the adjective “generational,” whose sense concerns the relationship between one generation and another. Its meaning is not restricted to biological descent: social, cultural, economic, and institutional changes can all occur generationally. The term therefore provides a concise way to distinguish gradual, multi-generational development from change confined to a single lifespan.
adverbIn a way that spans successive generations, especially by being passed from one generation to the next.
- Across or from one generation to the next, especially in the transmission of traditions, knowledge, resources, or inherited characteristics.
"Some of the island's agricultural knowledge has been passed generationally for centuries."
"Some of the island's agricultural knowledge has been passed generationally for centuries."
"Housing costs have risen generationally, leaving younger workers increasingly unable to buy."
Generationally points outward across generations, not inward toward one: a compact way to say “from generation to generation.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does generationally come from?
English “generationally” was formed from the adjective “generational” by adding the adverbial suffix “-ly.” “Generational” in turn derives from “generation,” which came through Old French from Latin generatio, a noun of action derived from generare, “to beget or produce.” The Latin verb is related to genus, meaning “kind” or “race,” and forms such as “generate,” “generative,” and “generic” belong to the same wider etymological family.
Related word forms
How generationally is actually used
Standard in British and American English but relatively uncommon. It is especially apt with verbs such as “pass,” “transmit,” and “inherit”; “intergenerationally” or “from generation to generation” may be clearer in general writing.
Easily confused with generationally
“Generationally” is an adverb describing an action or change across generations, whereas “generational” is an adjective describing something connected with generations.